While it may take some time for the world to return to normal in terms of theatrical box office numbers, Marvel Studios is still one of the notable leaders in this department. The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently has six of the top highest-grossing movies in history, and the franchise as a whole has made over $22.5 billion in global revenue.
This came to a culmination in 2019 when Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time, earning nearly $2.798 billion at the box office. The blockbuster set records seemingly by the day, including having the most profitable year of any 2019 movie and shattering the mark for best opening weekend ever.
Endgame surpassed director James Cameron’s Avatar , which had held the record for most of the past decade. However, thanks to a recent re-release for Avatar in China, Cameron’s film has reclaimed the top spot and overtaken the MCU’s most successful theatrical adventure to date.
Avatar now sits at roughly $2.802 billion in revenue , while Avengers: Endgame lands at the #2 spot with $2.797 billion. In gracious fashion, Marvel Studios acknowledged this passing of the torch on social media.
MARVEL STUDIOS GIVES PROPS TO AVATAR
In a new post on Twitter, Marvel Studios offered their congratulations to director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau after Avatar retook the position as the highest-grossing movie of all time. This came after the movie was re-released in China and surpassed the box office total for 2019's Avengers: Endgame .
The full post can be seen here:
Congratulations to @JimCameron ,@JonLandau , and ALL of Na'vi Nation for reclaiming the box office crown! We love you 3000. @OfficialAvatar pic.twitter.com/WlMWRcL15y
Cameron replied with his own Twitter post, simply retweeting Marvel Studios' and adding a blue heart, reminiscent of the blue Na'vi from his movie. That can be seen below:
Congratulations to @JimCameron ,@JonLandau , and ALL of Na'vi Nation for reclaiming the box office crown! We love you 3000. @OfficialAvatar pic.twitter.com/WlMWRcL15y
Landau also retweeted Marvel's post with a blue heart of his own, as can be seen below:
💙 @MarvelStudios @Avengers https://t.co/qcmH7ZdeaN
Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo responded to the news as well, including a piece of artwork paying tribute to both movies.
Their tweet congratulates Avatar with the directors "passing the torch" back to Cameron, accompanied by artwork showing the Endgame logo dusting into the title card for Avatar . Thanos' armor can also be seen in the Pandora-esque landscape, all in the post below:
Passing the gauntlet back to you... @JimCameron Thanks for the beautiful art @bosslogic. pic.twitter.com/URSxUMzf8D
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who also served as a producer on Avengers: Endgam e, offered his own congratulations to Cameron and Landau on this feat. Gunn even pays tribute to Zoe Saldana, who stars in both movies, saying that she's "in kind of a no lose situation here."
His tweet can be seen below:
Well it was fun while it lasted, but I am no longer an Executive Producer of the biggest grossing film of all time. Congrats to James Cameron & the #Avatar team! (And of course @zoesaldana, who is in kind of a no lose situation here).
WILL ENDGAME EVENTUALLY COME BACK FOR MORE?
When it was announced that Avatar was coming back to Chinese theaters for a second re-release, it seemed inevitable that the flick would take the top spot once again. The box office numbers for both films have been remarkably close since Avengers: Endgame first claimed this crown almost two years ago , and rumors have pointed to James Cameron wanting that title back for some time.
Cameron clearly knows what he's doing in terms of box office revenue, also holding the #3 spot with 1997's Titanic at nearly $2.2 billion. That film also had the opportunity to release multiple times in theaters , which is exactly the case with Avatar over a decade after it first came to the big screen.
As movies begin to release in theaters again, it will be interesting to find out if directors Joe and Anthony Russo counter back with a second re-release for Avengers: Endgame after the first one pushed the movie into the top spot. Fans are surely hoping the MCU's next slate of films will help jumpstart the box office trends considering how prolific Marvel Studios is in that department.
For now, Avengers: Endgame has to "settle" for being the second-highest grossing movie ever made. The MCU will return to theaters with Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow , which is still set to debut on May 7, 2021 .
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